I’m going to France next week. Hopefully, there won’t be any problems.

From the Boston Globe: “State department warns of violence in France”:

Three days before a visit to Paris by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the State Department warned Americans of violent protests in France and advised travelers to avoid city crowds. The security alert yesterday advised Americans traveling or living in France to ''avoid areas where crowds are expected to gather" and use caution because of sometimes violent demonstrations in Paris and other large cities over a divisive youth jobs law.

Isn’t that just dandy. For extra Gallic fun, read about France’s assimilation problems in “Absorbing Europe’s Muslims” and its economic woes in “In France, the politics of make-believe.” And for the record, I’ll be attending the Photonics Europe conference in Strasbourg and presenting a paper on “Effect of optical fiber coating abrasion on aging behavior.” Gripping stuff!